Mark Dambly Elected Board Of Trustees Chair, Matt Schuyler Vice Chair

Penn State’s Board of Trustees met Thursday and Friday at Penn State Harrisburg for its bi-monthly meeting and annual summer commonwealth campus visit. The Board elected elected Chair Mark Dambly and Vice Chair Matt Schuyler to lead for the 2017-2018 year.

Dambly is a business and industry trustee who served as vice chair of the Board last year after a close election against gubernatorial appointee student trustee Allie Goldstein. He has served on the Board since 2010 and was approved for a new term in May.

Gubernatorial appointee Bob Capretto challenged Dambly for the position, but Dambly ultimately prevailed with 21 votes over Capretto’s 12, despite personal controversy that appeared in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Dambly was asked in 2012 about his criminal history. WJAC-TV’s Gary Sinderson found court records showing that in 1979, Dambly pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a fight in downtown State College. Dambly was sentenced to five days in Centre County jail.

When asked about it on camera by Sinderson, Dambly responded, “I’m not aware of that.”

“You’re not aware of being arrested, threatening to kill somebody in 1979?” Sinderson followed up.

“No,” Dambly said.

In July of 2013, Sinderson reported that Dambly filed to have that incident expunged from court records, providing a Pennsylvania State Police background check that showed no subsequent offenses.

“When I was young, I made some mistakes,” Dambly said during the meeting when asked to address recent media controversy. “I’ve learned from those mistakes, and I’ve moved on to live a very productive life, both personally and professionally.”

Schuyler is an at-large trustee first elected to the Board in July 2015. His Penn State service includes membership on the Board of Visitors of the Smeal College of Business, the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and on the School of Hospitality Management Advisory Board. He was also honored with an Alumni Fellow Award from the Penn State Alumni Association in 2013.

About Author

Elissa is a junior public relations major and the managing editor of Onward State. She is from Punxsutawney, PA [insert corny Bill Murray joke here] and considers herself an expert on all things ice cream. Send questions and comments via e-mail ([email protected]) and follow her on Twitter (@ElissaKHill) for more corny jokes.